West Ham defender Kurt Zouma and his brother Yoan are being prosecuted by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act, the British charity has said.
Kurt Zouma was seen kicking and slapping one of his cats in footage which surfaced on social media in February, with the RSPCA taking the 27-year-old’s two pet cats into care the same month.
The video caused outrage and led to club sponsors cutting ties with Kurt's Premier League club West Ham while Adidas also dropped their sponsorship of the defender. However, he continued to be selected by manager David Moyes.
West Ham said Zouma was fined the “maximum amount possible”, with British media reporting the fine was two weeks’ wages. The defender, who apologised, accepted the fine which was to be donated to animal welfare charities.
Yoan Zouma’s club Dagenham & Redbridge suspended him last month after saying he had been responsible for filming the incident, and said in a club statement issued earlier on Wednesday afternoon that he had been charged.
The fifth-tier side said he would now be available to play.
"Dagenham & Redbridge FC note the decision of the RSPCA to charge Yoan Zouma under the Animal Welfare Act 2006," they said in a statement.
“Four weeks have now elapsed however since the incident, and the club feels that any further suspension from the team would be detrimental to both the club and Yoan. A decision has been made therefore for Yoan to be available to play.”
The RSPCA released its own statement later, which read: “Following a full and thorough investigation, we have started the process of bringing a prosecution against Kurt Zouma and Yoan Zouma under the Animal Welfare Act.
“The two cats continue to be cared for by the RSPCA. We will be in a position to release more information once a court date is confirmed.”
